My, Oh My!

Elation!
Excitement!
Grinning ear to ear for hours now!
Breathe.
Here goes....

When you were flipping through your latest issue of Country Living magazine, did you happen to see this ad?


I know that as soon as I saw it, I was crazy excited.
For any of you who have been sharing blog-time with me for a while now, you know that Austin is my stompin' grounds (although we don't have the pleasure of living there anymore), and Country Living is such an inspiration both to myself and my business.

I've been following the Country Living Fair (from afar!) for years now!

And now I can share with you that (drumroll...)
today I received confirmation that Sweet European Dreams will be participating as a vendor at the Country Living Fair in Austin!

If it weren't the end of a very long day, I would post a picture of the perma-grin that I'm wearing right now!

So that's my exciting news!
Can't wait to share this adventure with you all and I especially hope to finally meet some of your sweet faces in Austin, in April!

Until next time...So much time and so little to do. Strike that. Reverse.

Out with the New, in with the Old

Dearest vintage-loving friends,
I hope that 2012 is finding you well!

We are finally back in routine from the holiday madness!
I always look forward to a new year.
Not sure why, but it’s like a breath of fresh air.

And speaking of fresh, I’ve started a pre-spring purge throughout the house. Amidst the great purge, I’ve been noticing a trend in my giveaway piles.

I clearly remember registering for sparkly new must-haves at department stores for our wedding, and now I find those formerly treasured items slowly exiting the premises.

And what’s replacing them?
Secondhand treasures that I’ve picked up at thrift stores, estate sales and auctions.

Yep. Out with the new, and in with the old.

Not only do I love the nostalgia of these sweet picks, but I love the quality of the materials they’re made of. Odd things of the past, such as wood and glass!

And with my recent discovery of the dangers of many household plastics,
I feel good about going back to the basics that I grew up with.

So now I’m playing around online and thought I’d share some fun swaps (old for new!), that could easily make your place a little greener this year.

Here they are!

I have a thing for deviled eggs, so egg platters are always a must.
(I'm actually still kicking myself for selling a precious Italian one a few years back!)
If you want to buy something new, here's one from Tupperware.



But, here's an upcycle option that I found on Etsy.



I could have bought this cheery bed set at Dillards...



But then I found this vintage chenille coverlet instead!



You can save your pennies (a lot of them) and get this cute owl canister at Anthropologie...


Or, you can adopt this little guy off of Etsy...



If you have a thing for linens (like I do!), then you could add some poppies to your kitchen via Williams-Sonoma,



or you could follow Oma's lead and go vintage!



Cute stuff and the prices are right as well!

I love that thrifting is fanatical right now. You can pretty much decorate your entire home off of fun finds from the past, while saving money as well.

If you plan on thrifting or picking this weekend, I wish you much fun in finding just the right pieces (and prices!).

Until next time...be blessed!

Diggin' Vintage. In Austin!

I hope you’re all in the midst of a fabulous summer.
We’ve just unloaded from our Austin market this past weekend.

It. Was. Bliss.

If you’re a lover of vintage, and you haven’t been to Austin?
Oh my.

My husband and I lived in Austin for a good 10 years before we began traveling with Uncle Sam and Co.

Austin doesn’t just have some great spots for vintage shopping, but the city itself will give you some immense vintage inspiration!

I wish I could have taken pics over the weekend, but I was so busy at the market that my camera never stood a chance.

So…once again I’ll be relying on some awesome bloggers out there who have some noteworthy blogs that I can promote.

First up on Austin’s vintage list is Austin’s City Wide Garage Sale, which is where we were selling this past weekend.



99% of what you’ll find there is pure vintage.


Old-school clothes, furniture, linens, knick knacks, toys, you name it.
The biggest vendors are there for the October, November and January markets, so those are the best months to stop and shop.


This next little tip on vintage picking in Austin is going to get me in big trouble with fellow antique dealers, but here goes...

Burnet Road is a tried-and-true spot where dealers do some of their picking.

There are several places to sift through, so I think a stop here is definitely worth your time.

Here are some places to look out for on Burnet...


Top Drawer Thrift
Assistance League of Austin
Bethesda Resale
Antiques Marketplace (pricier but a fun stop anyway…)

Here’s a nice little write-up on Austin thrift that was just recently posted.
Good stuff!

When you’re done with Burnet Road, you may want to give the Austin Antique Mall a shot as well.

It’s a mere 5 minute drive (if that) from good ol’ Burnet Road and I’ve found some really fun stuff in there.

The place has been there basically forever and it seems like their prices are still very reasonable.

If the thought of vintage food doesn't sit well, bare with me.
For all you foodies out there (I’m definitely one…), Austin has a plethora of food trailers.


Groovy little roadside trailers that host some spectacular eats.

No, the food isn’t vintage, but the whole roadside dining concept certainly is.

I just love roadside spots and I’m thrilled that Denver is finally catching on to this. (now, If only I actually lived in Denver…)

So when you do plan your vintage outing in Austin, here’s a link that will guide you to some tasty trailer-style eats…

Food Trailers Austin

You may want to schedule a trek to Austin on October 22nd for the Austin’s annual Gypsy Picnic.

It’s a fabulous food fest featuring the best in food trailer fun.


Yummo.
Wish I could be there…

I could say sooooooooo much more about vintage and Austin, but I'll save it for another time.

For now, I hope this has inspired you to get your vintage-fix in Austin someday.

Signing off from the toasty Texas hill country for now...back in CO shortly!


Stop by & play!

A European Sweet Spot

He’s off to foreign lands for a while,


And now that things on the homefront have settled some,
I’m back!

Thanks so much to so many of you who wrote the sweetest comments to me while we were in the midst of his departure!

I’m back to blogging, and thrilled to be here!

So…here we go!

For you travel bugs out there, I need to share with you one of my favorite Euro spots to check out.

See if you can imagine a place such as this…

Blissfully clean streets,


fabulous shops galore (including an Italian outlet mall!!!),


cobblestone paths adorned with fresh fruit and vegetable markets,


your choice of Swiss delicacies or an Italian menu,


and all surrounding a true-blue gigantic lake.


Any clue where this may be?

On the south end of Switzerland, just on the Italian border, is a dreamy little spot known as Lugano.

My American-Swiss friend Brenda took me there just after college graduation, and my senses have never been the same!

Lugano is truly the best of both worlds.

Here are a few websites that will help you plan your trip to Lugano.

Wiki's Info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lugano

Lugano's Official Tourist Site

And one of my favorite bloggers, Expat with Kids.

I had to miss Switzerland on this year’s buying trip, but I’m planning on hitting good ol' Schweiz next Spring!

And...you can bet that Lugano will be on the map!


My apologies as these pics are borrowed from other fabulous sites, but it appears that my sweet soldier borrowed my thumb drive…containing all my travel pics.

That thumb drive is now stationed somewhere in the middle east!
Oh well…

As always, thanks so much for tuning in!


Come on over!

There He Goes (again...)

hi friends.
Just a quick hello and a little explanation as to why I've been absent.
You see, our family is walking into this again...


For those of you who aren't military, this little pic says it all.

He's deploying.

12 long months where I will cram-in as much antiquing, rat-packing, and crafting as possible. (These are the things that get me through!)

So, please excuse my absence these past few weeks.

Family time has been a major priority for us, and I will return to blogville shortly.

Until then, blessings to each of you!

Checkin' In

We're back from a big market day in Denver.



All showered-up, pj'd and ready to read your posts!

Hope you've all had a great weekend!

Happy Mother's Day!

Market Madness

I'm about to post an obnoxious amount of photos here, so I thought I'd explain a little.

Last weekend was our first antique market of the season, and I always take oodles of pictures at each market.

Let me just say that what you see in our Etsy shop is such a minimal representation of what we actually carry. Like, maybe 5% of what we actually have in stock!

So...I wanted to post some pics to show you the fun variety of kitsch that we do have to offer.

First off, you'll always see our little banner hanging around...


Our funky ladders are always loaded!




We like to mix Oma's trinkets with those of Granny's.
They get along well...





Here's Oma's corner...



Foo Foo fit for a queen (or Kate...)



And last, but never least, our Yummy Linens...




Our next market date is Saturday, May 7th at A Paris Street Market, in Littleton, CO.


For those of you who aren't local to us (Colorado!) we just may be in Texas at some point this summer, and we're looking at the possibility of...drumroll...the Country Living Fair in 2012.

We'll see!

As always, thanks for tuning in!
Until next time...